Health

Fibromyalgia is a long-term, chronic disorder. It causes widespread muscle pain and tenderness. Symptoms tend to include fatigue and altered sleep, memory, and depression in addition to muscle pain. Although treatment can help relieve symptoms, there is no cure. However, research and tests can help better understand fibromyalgia, which is why it is important to stay updated on the latest news.

This article that contains research concerning the latest fibromyalgia news. It is always best to contact your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Do not hesitate to reach out to a health care professional you trust.

NEUROINFLAMMATION

Inflammation in the brain has been considered as causing the amplification of pain signals. In fact, Swedish scientists have researched that there is a way to assess the levels of inflammation in the brain, including sampling the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF reflects what is happening in the brain because it is always in contact with it. The CSF levels of inflammation are much higher in patients with fibromyalgia than in healthy individuals.

TREATMENT OPTIONS TO LOWER NEUROINFLAMMATION

LDN: Low-dose naltrexone is an opiate-blocking medication that is given in low doses to lower inflammation in the central nervous system. LDN stops the release of inflammatory chemicals by targeting the receptors on the immune cells found in the brain (gial cells).

CBD: As a newer option, cannabidiol is a chemical compound made from cannabis that can be used to help treat chronic pain symptoms and reduce inflammation. CBD is an alternative choice to opioid prescriptions. The legal status of CBD depends where you live in because different states have different laws.

Tumeric: Tumeric has an active ingredient, called curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory effects in the brain.

Green Tea: Another food product is green tea. Green tea also contains a chemical that helps with anti-inflammatory effects, called EGCG.

NATURAL FIBROMYALGIA TREATMENT

Diet can play an important role in treating fibromyalgia symptoms. There are natural options for fibromyalgia treatment. Changing to a fibromyalgia diet, adding certain supplements, using essential oils, and therapy (massage, mediations, and counseling) can help relieve pain and fatigue.

Eat a low FODMAP diet. FODMAP stands for a collection of food molecules that are short-chained carbohydrates. FODMAPs are fermentable and are a group of sugars that can not be completely absorbed by the body.

Other foods: gluten-free oats, GMO-free corn and rice, quinoa, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, avocado oil and coconut oil. There are other options, and the foods listed above are just some suggestions. It is important to avoid foods high in FODMAPs, including fructose, lactose, fructans, galactans, polyols, large amounts of alcohol and caffeine, and processed foods or foods with additives.

RESEARCH AND OTHER OPTIONS

NEUROTRANSMITTERS AND BRAIN RESEARCH

According to Fibromyalgia News Today, there is a recent study that suggests signaling proteins that activate the nervous system (catecholamines and indolamines) may have an important role in fibromyalgia. However, research is ongoing and results have remained unclear or contradictory.

In another study in 2018 scientists have found that brain stimulation with cognitive training can help boost memory and verbal fluency in women who have fibromyalgia. Brazil researchers have discovered that by combining noninvasive brain stimulation with cognitive training women with fibromyalgia experience positive cognitive improvements.

QUELL

In a personal relation, Donna Burch explains her experience with the Quell wearable pain relief device. She also lists other technological options, but describes Quell in detail. In sum, the Quell is a drug free option that is FDA approved to wear for 24/7 widespread pain relief (not just a localized region on the body).

BOTOX

In my experience, I have a family member who has fibromyalgia. It not only negatively affects the individual physically, but also mentally. One option that is not a medication is botox, which helps with trigger points. Because botox is an injection, it comes with slight risks, but it does not have any real side effects.

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Botox injections for fibromyalgia? Yup, you heard right. Are you looking for a non-medical treatment option? Botox may be a possible option for you.

Fibromyalgia is a painful condition that involves widespread muscle pain and tenderness. Fibromyalgia patients not only experience physical bodily pain, but they can also undergo mental distress because of it. The condition does not just cause pain, but it can also cause chronic fatigue and tiredness as well as other kinds of discomfort. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) found that 80-90% of fibromyalgia patients are women. The cause of fibromyalgia is still unknown, and therefore there is not a cure.

Although there is no cure for fibromyalgia, there are treatment options. Here we will examine a specific kind of treatment option: Botox.

How do Botox injections work?

Botox has undergone scientific and medical research. It targets the specific muscles and stops them from sending the pain signals throughout the body. Therefore, your body does not register that you are feeling pain. In other words, Botox works because it ultimately weakens and stops the muscles from feeling pain.

In my experience, I have a family member who has fibromyalgia. She has used Botox as a treatment option, which has greatly helped her and helped relieve her pain. However, this may not be for everyone.

Pros

Depending on your condition, your doctor can recommend Botox as a treatment option for you. There are several pros for using Botox to treat fibromyalgia. Listed below are some positive aspects:

The Procedure is Safe

It is completely safe for fibromyalgia patients. There are very limited levels of the injections used, making it a safe treatment option. Although the risks are low, you can experience flu-like symptoms after receiving the injection. However, this is quite rare.

Non-medication Option

If you are looking for a specific non-medical treatment option, Botox may be right for you. It is a non-medication option, and it can broaden your choices for how you want to go about your treatment process.

Time Efficient

Although Botox does not last forever, it does have some benefits for the amount of time a patient can experience pain relief. However, it does vary depending on the patient’s condition. Pain reduction can last for up to four months, making it an effective way of reducing pain though it is not a permanent solution.

Repeated Form of Treatment

Your doctor may recommend that the procedure be repeated if you received a good experience with the initial Botox injection. However, do not receive the injections too frequently because it can lead to your body becoming immune to the Botox.

Painless

Botox is not completely painless. However, you should only feel a slight amount of pain when you receive the injection. This is only because the it is administered at the site of the muscles that are already in pain and can be tender. The pain is definitely bearable and the pain levels are moderate.

Cons

On the other hand, there are some cons that you should consider while looking at Botox as a possible treatment option. Below are some cons of Botox as a treatment option for fibromyalgia:

Trigger Points

Botox requires to be administered directly at the trigger points. In order to help treat the pain, the injection needs to be placed at the site where the pain is coming from. More specifically, it is placed where the muscles are going into spasm. Additionally, it disables muscles, making it impossible to apply it to the whole body.

Limited

The injection is limited due to its inability to cure all symptoms associated with fibromyalgia. However, it does provide pain relief, which can help positively improve other symptoms, such as mental distress.

Slow Start

It can take some time to be in effect. In fact, the pain will not usually be relieved until after seven to nine days after the injection is administered.

Side Effects

It is highly unlikely to experience side effects. However, there are accounts where patients experience more pain or feel pain at a different site. This is known as the law of unintended consequences. It can occur because it depends on the individual (sometimes there are good results, sometimes there are bad results).

Final Thoughts

Botox can be a great treatment option for fibromyalgia patients, depending on the individual’s condition. For more information, visit My Fibro Team, which is a social network for those living with fibromyalgia where you can have an open discussion with other patients. Another great resource is Pain Doctor online if you have any more questions. If you have any concerns about Botox as a treatment method, speak to your doctor.

The preceding article is from RedOrbit.com and posted here for sharing purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.

Finding relief for your fibromyalgia can be a challenge. Although doctors will often prescribe medications to give you fibromyalgia relief, that is usually only part of a broader range of treatment therapies. Most fibro sufferers need to have a list of potential therapies that they use in combination. Dance therapy is one of the more unconventional treatments you might want in your arsenal. Here’s how dance therapy may help you get some relief.

The Benefits of Movement

Exercise and movement are great for any chronic pain patients. It may seem like exercise could cause more pain for people who already experience a lot of pain. But the result is actually the complete opposite. It can seem like it’s counter-intuitive, but regular exercise has a lot of pain-relieving benefits.

Some of the physical benefits of exercise include the following:

Improved flexibility, which can help loosen tight or tense muscles

Increased range of motion, which can make it less painful to do daily activities

Increased muscle strength

Improved coordination and balance, which can prevent falls

You may lose weight, which can put less pressure on your joints

The best exercises are often those which you’ll actually do on a regular basis. In that regard, dance therapy can be a great choice: it’s so much fun that you may hardly notice that you’re also getting a good workout at the same time.

Mood-Boosting Endorphins

Exercise has benefits for both the mind and the body. Dance therapy, like other types of exercise, has great advantages to promote mental health. Dancing reduces anxiety, helps you to cope more easily with worry. It also produces feel-good chemicals in the brain called endorphins. You may be familiar with the concept from terms like a “runner’s high.” But you don’t need to run or do other high-intensity forms of exercise to get all the good results for your mental health.

Dance therapy has other positive effects on mental health as well. It helps to alleviate depression. It also boosts stress reduction, which can ultimately lead to less pain. Because stress can lead to physical pain, especially in fibromyalgia patients, reducing stress can also reduce pain.

One-on-One vs. Group Dance Lessons

If you don’t know much about dance therapy, you may not be aware that you have multiple different options available. The number of options available can depend on the size of the area where you live, the number of local people with fibromyalgia, and whether or not there are trained dance therapists.

Many people with fibromyalgia have to stay at home a lot and might enjoy more opportunities to be social. For these people, group dance therapy classes can be fun and helpful. Group dance therapy classes can vary in size. Small groups may only include two or three people, while large groups can contain up to 20 participants. This can feel like an enjoyable, social way to get your exercise, which may make you more likely to keep attending classes.

Individual dance therapy is a good option for people who may need more one-on-one attention. Some people with fibromyalgia may have poor coordination or balance and may need more direct assistance. Others may feel self-conscious or anxious in group settings and would prefer the comparative relative privacy of individual work with an instructor. One-on-one classes can also progress at your own pace, depending on your strength and stamina.

How to Find Dance Therapy for Fibromyalgia

Dance therapy for fibromyalgia may be a well-kept secret in your town. Chances are that you won’t see any billboards for dance therapy along the highway, for example. But if you ask around and put in a little bit of legwork, you may be able to find such opportunities where you live.

A good place to start your search is by asking around at your local hospital or even your doctor’s office. Hospitals often allow therapy groups to meet on their property if they are affiliated with the group, or they may know where such groups meet in your community.

Also, consider calling your local YMCA or community recreation facility. Local fitness groups are sometimes organized through the YMCA and community centers.

If there isn’t any existing dance therapy option for fibromyalgia, consider contacting local dance instructors and ask if they would be willing to develop either a group class or provide one-on-one instruction.

The preceding article is from RedOrbit.com and posted here for sharing purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.

Feeling chilly all the time can be quite a nuisance. More often than not, friends, family members, and coworkers with good circulation have a hard time understanding someone’s continuous plight of cold feet and fingers. Sometimes, their reactions can be quite cold and their appreciation for the problem as low as the thermostat.

“Why am I always cold” is one of the questions people with poor circulation most frequently ask. There are numerous answers to this puzzling question, ranging from lack of sleep and low body weight to nutritional deficiency and dehydration. Sometimes, eating disorders, certain medications, and even serious health issues might be the reason. Read on to find out more about what makes you feel cold all the time.

HYPOTHYROIDISM

Starting off on a serious note, problems with the thyroid gland can lead to problems with blood circulation and, consequently, cause you to feel cold all the time. Your thyroid is in charge of the production of the thyroid hormone which regulates your metabolism.

If the production is lower than usual or your body is unable to absorb sufficient amounts of the hormone, you can develop hypothyroidism. Besides constant chills, the symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, dry skin, constipation, irregular periods, and hair loss. Also, you might experience substantial weight gain due to the lower metabolism.

MEDICATIONS

It is not unusual for some medications to cause poor circulation as a side effect. If you’ve only recently started feeling cold, it might be a good idea to check if it coincides with starting a new med. If you’re taking blood pressure medications, such as propranolol, you might get cold feet and hands as an unwanted aftereffect.

If that’s the case, make sure to tell your doctor about the symptoms the next time you go for a checkup. He or she will likely suggest an alternative.

BLOOD VESSEL PROBLEMS

Problems with blood vessels can also cause your feet and hands to constantly feel cold. There are numerous conditions and diseases that can potentially compromise blood circulation. Raynaud’s disease and arteriosclerosis are some of the most prominent. Here’s a brief explanation of each.

RAYNAUD’S DISEASE

The most common symptoms of Reynaud’s disease include hands and feet turning white (or even blue) in cold temperatures. Behind the scenes, the arteries responsible for sending blood to your fingers and toes spasm when exposed to cold. Usually, Reynaud’s disease is mild enough to not affect the patient’s overall quality of life, though sometimes it may be a sign of a more serious underlying problem.

ARTERIOSCLEROSIS

In a nutshell, arteriosclerosis is the hardening and thickening of arterial walls. It is a condition that restricts blood flow little by little. Genetic factors, unhealthy diet and lifestyle, smoking, and a myriad of other things can kick off arteriosclerosis, the primary cause of stroke and CAD (coronary artery disease).

The most common symptoms of arteriosclerosis, beside incessant chills, include confusion, impaired vision, numbness in legs and face, weakness, and difficulty understanding speech. If you recognize any of these, go see your doctor as soon as possible.

ANEMIA

Your body’s inability to produce enough red blood cells is termed anemia. As a result of this inability, whatever lowered percentage of red blood cells in your bloodstream can’t transport enough oxygen throughout your body, which will most likely cause the extremities like your feet and hands to feel cold. The other common symptoms associated with anemia include fatigue, short breath, and physical weakness. You might also feel unusually thirsty, confused, or as if you’re about to pass out.

The development of anemia is often ascribed to insufficient levels of some important nutrients – most notably iron and vitamin B12. If you suspect that you’re feeling cold due to anemia, be sure to see your doctor and get a blood test to confirm your suspicion.

DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY

Diabetic nephropathy (commonly referred to as diabetic kidney disease or DN) is a chronic disease that affects individuals suffering from diabetes mellitus. It is a loss of kidney function caused by low levels of serum albumin, which is, in turn, caused by an excessive loss of protein in urine.

Aside from perpetually feeling cold, those suffering from diabetic nephropathy may also experience nocturia (frequent nocturnal urination), headaches, fatigue, vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, swollen legs, itchy skin, frequent urination throughout the day, and more. DN is a serious condition that you should confront right away if you recognize the symptoms.

LACK OF SLEEP

While not nearly as serious as the previously described conditions, lack of sleep can also make you more susceptible to cold than usual. If you don’t rest properly, your body will not be able to heal and get rid of the accumulated stress. This can only mess with your internal thermostat.

Even short periods of sleep deprivation can increase your vulnerability to lower temperatures. Therefore, make sure to get sufficient shuteye to ward off those chills and goose bumps.

POOR NUTRITION

The food that you eat is your body’s fuel, and if poorly (or inadequately) fueled, your body will naturally decrease the scope of its activity. Slowing down blood circulation toward the peripheral areas (read fingers and toes) is one of your body’s first warning signs and self-preservation mechanisms.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that many anorexiaand bulimia patients report feeling constantly cold, among other symptoms. If you feel cold and hungry, take a bite and give your body the fuel it needs to work at full capacity.

DEHYDRATION

Apart from needing proper nutrition and rest, your body also needs proper hydration. Similar to lack of sleep and food, your body will enter the self-preservation mode when faced with insufficient water supplies.

Water is very good at retaining heat, and when it is in low supply, it is easier for heat to leave your body. To prevent the precious heat from escaping, make sure to drink enough water. Apart from feeling warmer, proper hydration also has numerous other beneficial effects on your body and overall health.

GENDER

Finally, the reason that you always feel a bit cold, even when people around you feel fine, might be down to gender differences. Experts from the University of Utah found that women, while having 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit higher core temperature than men, have around 3 degrees colder hands and feet.

A study published in 2015 in the journal Nature suggests that men are (on average) comfortable at 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit, while women need an additional 5 degrees for the same effect. If you can’t win the thermostat war at the office, consider adding a layer or two to your work attire or investing in a small space heater.

CONCLUSION

The question “Why am I always cold” can have many potential answers. While some are as benign as dehydration or a poor night’s sleep, others can be as serious as hypothyroidism, diabetic nephropathy, or a blood vessel disorder.

In case you constantly feel chilly, it is a good idea to check your eating, sleeping, and hydration habits first. If these check out, you might want to pay attention to any other problems and symptoms that you might be experiencing. If you notice anything strange, be sure to contact your doctor as soon as possible

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Fibromyalgia is a complicated illness. It’s not a disease that can be seen on x-rays or ultrasound and much of the symptoms are self-reported by patients. What doctors know about fibromyalgia continues to change and adapt with time. When doctors came up with the initial diagnostic criteria in 1990, the standards used to diagnose fibromyalgia were different. Back then, most doctors used the presence of tender points to diagnose fibromyalgia. But today, things are a little different. Learn more about the criteria doctors use to make a fibro diagnosis now.

What are Tender Points?

Once the diagnostic gold standard for identifying fibromyalgia, doctors checked for sensitivity when specific tender points on the body were touched. Under this original standard, you had to experience intense pain and tenderness when doctors pressed or touched at least 11 of 18 specific points. In addition, a positive fibromyalgia diagnosis required widespread pain throughout the entire body. Although other symptoms were often associated with fibromyalgia, the tender points and widespread pain were the only criteria required for getting a fibro diagnosis.

Why Did Doctors Change How They Diagnose Fibromyalgia?

Tender points were an unpopular method for diagnosing fibromyalgia. Doctors wanted something more scientific and less subjective than just the patient’s experience of tenderness or pain. Many doctors also felt uncomfortable with having to touch so much of the patient’s body to make the diagnosis.

An additional factor in why doctors sought a change for how to diagnose fibromyalgia was that the old diagnostic standard didn’t account for other health problems associated with fibro. Many patients with fibromyalgia often have other coexisting health problems, including fatigue, depression and anxiety, joint pain, digestive problems, hormonal imbalances, and headaches. An improved diagnostic standard allows these other conditions to be taken into consideration.

New Diagnostic Criteria

The American College of Rheumatology updated their diagnostic guidelines in 2010. Their new guidelines for use in diagnosing fibromyalgia include scores on two different scales: the widespread pain index (WPI) and symptom severity (SS) scale. The new criteria do not completely replace the original criteria and pain at tender or pressure points can still be useful information.

However, most doctors feel that there should be a more comprehensive evaluation. The symptom severity scale asks patients to rate their experience of the following symptoms:

Muscle pain

Fatigue and/or chronic tiredness

Irritable bowel syndrome

Headaches

Problems with thinking or memory

Dizziness

Insomnia

Nausea/vomiting

Mood changes, including depression and anxiety

Problems with urination, including frequent urination or bladder spasms

The severity score on these symptoms is combined with the extent of widespread physical pain to help a doctor make a fibromyalgia diagnosis. Many fibromyalgia patients also find that their symptoms began after a traumatic or highly stressful event, such as a car accident, job loss, or the death of a loved one.

Ruling Out Other Conditions

Although doctors can diagnose fibromyalgia from the criteria listed above, it’s also important to rule out other conditions. Many other conditions have similar symptoms to fibromyalgia. These conditions can be detected by simple blood tests. These health conditions with symptoms that mimic fibromyalgia are often more easily treated than fibro as well.

Some of the other health conditions doctors can test for and possibly rule out on the way to making an accurate fibro diagnosis include the following:

Neurological illnesses, such as multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis

Tests that can diagnose these conditions include a general vitamin D test, sedimentation rate (or sed rate) test, thyroid function test, and complete blood count. An MRI and lumbar puncture (or spinal tap) are also used to diagnose diseases like multiple sclerosis.

New Testing Options

For decades, it was believed that making a fibromyalgia diagnosis was a matter of trial and error. Doctors would rule out one condition after another. After this, they would conclude that symptoms equaled fibromyalgia. But now there may be a blood test that can help in diagnosis.

A company named EpicGenetics has developed the Fm/a blood test. This test looks for specific immune system abnormalities in the white blood cells.

Fibromyalgia diagnosis is still an imprecise process. But scientists are getting closer every day to finding a definite means of diagnosing the illness.

The preceding article is from RedOrbit.com and posted here for sharing purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.

Daytime fatigue is fairly common, even normal, if it happens on occasion. It’s our body’s natural reaction to physical or mental exhaustion. However, when it’s persistent, it might be a sign that something is wrong.

On its own, it can’t be used to make a clear conclusion about what might be wrong. The spectrum of possible causes is very broad, ranging from mild issues that can be fixed with a couple of lifestyle changes to severe health problems that require immediate attention.

Here are some of the most common causes of fatigue and possible solutions:

1. POOR EATING HABITS

When it comes to lifestyle-related fatigue, poor diet is among the most common. The importance of our gut microbiota has been a hot topic within the scientific community for years now, and it’s known to serve a variety of crucial functions.

Considering the strong connection between the gut microbiome and the brain, it comes as no surprise that what we eat can have a very strong impact on a variety of mental functions, including the subjective perception of fatigue.

Of course, it’s not just our brain that recognizes chronic tiredness. Without proper nutrients, the body gets weak, the first result of which is fatigue.

There’s evidence that minimizing processed sugar and carbs can help alleviate the symptoms of fatigue. Make sure to maintain a balanced diet, and you might feel a lot more energetic throughout the day.

2. LACK OF EXERCISE

Aside from your eating habits, the amount of physical activity correlates with fatigue. It’s been proven that people living a sedentary lifestyle are far more likely to complain of fatigue than those who exercise regularly.

Lack of exercise and fatigue perpetually build onto one another. In a study, the main reason that middle-aged adults gave for not exercising was tiredness.

This often results in more fatigue, and the only way of breaking the cycle is making yourself do at least some exercises for 30 minutes a day. It can be something as simple as walking, but it’s extremely important that you make it a part of your daily life.

3. LACK OF UNINTERRUPTED SLEEP

While you’re sleeping, your body performs a variety of important functions, among which is the regulation of energy levels. Unfortunately, many people aren’t able to have high-quality sleep night in and night out, which negatively affects their everyday life.

Sleep deprivation is known to cause a variety of cognitive impairments and one of the leading causes of fatigue. If you’ve suffered from it for a long time, your fatigue might become chronic, so it might take a lot of time and effort before your energy levels can get back to normal.

What you should do is sleep for around seven hours on average every night. Moreover, you need to ensure that the sleep in uninterrupted, so your brain can perform all the necessary functions while you’re going through the stages of sleep.

4. CONSISTENTLY HIGH STRESS LEVELS

In this day and age, living a stress-free life is impossible for most. Stress is a normal part of our everyday lives, as long as it’s within the normal range. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for many people, who are exposed to overwhelming stress on a daily basis.

There’s a very strong link between stress and chronic fatigue, as well as many other physical and mental issues. High levels of stress are extremely unhealthy, so they should be avoided as much as possible.

Thankfully, this isn’t as hard as many make it out to be. A plethora of studies have shown that mindfulness meditation can yield incredible improvements and a long-term reduction in everyday stress levels. Just 10 minutes of meditation every day can make a world of difference, so there’s a very high chance it can help you overcome stress-related fatigue.

5. DEHYDRATION

Everyone loses water via sweat, urine, and many other ways. Proper hydration is essential to human health, and even mild dehydration can cause some serious issues, including chronic fatigue. Aside from this, it can severely impair both cognitive abilities and physical performance.

You might have heard about 8 glasses of water a day rule, but that doesn’t have to be the case. This is just an estimate, and the actual amount of water that your body needs may vary according to numerous factors, including your gender, size, climate, and activity level.

If you believe you’re even slightly dehydrated, try increasing your water intake and observe the results. Make sure to not replace water with sugary drinks, as this will only make the problems worse.

6. HEALTH ISSUES

There’s a wide variety of health problems that have fatigue as one of the main causes. Some of them aren’t serious and can be easily treated, while others can be quite serious, or even deadly in rare cases.

A very common underlying cause of fatigue is hypothyroidism. An underactive thyroid produces too little hormones, which results in fatigue.

Diabetes is another common cause of fatigue. Even though the connection isn’t well-understood, fatigue is one of the main symptoms that diabetics report.

The worst-case scenario is cancer-induced fatigue. It happens during both the disease progression and treatment, and almost nothing other than a full recovery can make it go away.

When fatigue is associated with health issues, it’s often not the only symptom. The first thing you should always do is visit your physician so that they can evaluate you and try to pinpoint the cause of your fatigue.

THE TAKEAWAY

What you see here are only some of the most common causes of dehydration. The full list is very long, so use this to think about the direction you might want to go towards getting rid of this issue.

It’s always a good idea to visit your GP before you make any major lifestyle changes. Assuming that more water or proteins will make the issue go away isn’t the best thing to do. Only do this once you’re sure that there are no medical issues behind your fatigue. Once you do it, take the advice as outlined above and you should notice some improvements with time.

The preceding article is from RedOrbit.com and posted here for sharing purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.

Finding relief for your fibromyalgia can be a challenge. Although doctors will often prescribe medications to give you fibromyalgia relief, that is usually only part of a broader range of treatment therapies. Most fibro sufferers need to have a list of potential therapies that they use in combination. Dance therapy is one of the more unconventional treatments you might want in your arsenal. Here’s how dance therapy may help you get some relief.

THE BENEFITS OF MOVEMENT

Exercise and movement are great for any chronic pain patients. It may seem like exercise could cause more pain for people who already experience a lot of pain. But the result is actually the complete opposite. It can seem like it’s counterintuitive, but regular exercise has a lot of pain-relieving benefits.

Some of the physical benefits of exercise include the following:

Improved flexibility, which can help loosen tight or tense muscles

Increased range of motion, which can make it less painful to do daily activities

Increased muscle strength

Improved coordination and balance, which can prevent falls

You may lose weight, which can put less pressure on your joints

The best exercises are often those which you’ll actually do on a regular basis. In that regard, dance therapy can be a great choice: it’s so much fun that you may hardly notice that you’re also getting a good workout at the same time.

MOOD-BOOSTING ENDORPHINS

Exercise has benefits for both the mind and the body. Dance therapy, like other types of exercise, has great advantages to promote mental health. Dancing reduces anxiety, helps you to cope more easily with worry. It also produces feel-good chemicals in the brain called endorphins. You may be familiar with the concept from terms like a “runner’s high.” But you don’t need to run or do other high-intensity forms of exercise to get all the good results for your mental health.

Dance therapy has other positive effects on mental health as well. It helps to alleviate depression. It also boosts stress reduction, which can ultimately lead to less pain. Because stress can lead to physical pain, especially in fibromyalgia patients, reducing stress can also reduce pain.

ONE-ON-ONE VS. GROUP DANCE LESSONS

If you don’t know much about dance therapy, you may not be aware that you have multiple different options available. The number of options available can depend on the size of the area where you live, the number of local people with fibromyalgia, and whether or not there are trained dance therapists.

Many people with fibromyalgia have to stay at home a lot and might enjoy more opportunities to be social. For these people, group dance therapy classes can be fun and helpful. Group dance therapy classes can vary in size. Small groups may only include two or three people, while large groups can contain up to 20 participants. This can feel like an enjoyable, social way to get your exercise, which may make you more likely to keep attending classes.

Individual dance therapy is a good option for people who may need more one-on-one attention. Some people with fibromyalgia may have poor coordination or balance and may need more direct assistance. Others may feel self-conscious or anxious in group settings and would prefer the comparative relative privacy of individual work with an instructor. One-on-one classes can also progress at your own pace, depending on your strength and stamina.

HOW TO FIND DANCE THERAPY FOR FIBROMYALGIA

Dance therapy for fibromyalgia may be a well-kept secret in your town. Chances are that you won’t see any billboards for dance therapy along the highway, for example. But if you ask around and put in a little bit of legwork, you may be able to find such opportunities where you live.

A good place to start your search is by asking around at your local hospital or even your doctor’s office. Hospitals often allow therapy groups to meet on their property if they are affiliated with the group, or they may know where such groups meet in your community.

Also, consider calling your local YMCA or community recreation facility. Local fitness groups are sometimes organized through the YMCA and community centers.

If there isn’t any existing dance therapy option for fibromyalgia, consider contacting local dance instructors and ask if they would be willing to develop either a group class or provide one-on-one instruction.

The preceding article is from RedOrbit.com and posted here for sharing purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.